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Hidden Vancouver Treasure: Skwachays Lodge Boutique Hotel and Art Gallery

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It’s one thing to have your brother or your cousin crash on the couch when they come to visit your tiny Vancouver apartment, but when it’s your parent or grandparent, you’re left scrambling to find a place for them to stay. If you think mum and dad might like a break from the soulless environment of a big corporate chain hotel, Skwachays Lodge right on the edge of Chinatown and Gastown may be the perfect spot. It’s not your traditional hotel as it is equal parts art gallery, boutique hotel, and social enterprise. You’ve probably seen it as it’s the only building downtown featuring a totem pole overlooking the street.

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Owned by the Vancouver Native Housing Society (VNHS), Skwachays is an innovative project that generates revenue to fund the society’s core mission of providing affordable housing for First Nations residents of the city. All profits from the hotel fund the non-profit housing initiatives of VNHS, enabling the Society to provide more and better quality housing. It also directly allows Skwachays to provide living and working space for twenty-four First Nations artists-in-residence and a gallery featuring some of the best art in Canada. This mixed use model has been studied by organizations across Canada.

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The Lodge is the brainchild of David Eddy, head of VNHS, and Jon Zwickel, a semi-retired hotel developer. The two met in 2012 and, after talking, saw great potential in strengthening the relationship between the hotel, the gallery and the resident artists. To do this, they selected six Aboriginal artists to transform the 18 guest rooms into an immersive art experience. Artists partnered with interior designers to create a hotel that is part luxury stay and part cultural experience.

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Today the rooms range in theme from the Longhouse to Tlingit Hats with each one featuring a unique collection of art alongside high-end amenities. Stepping into each room is a unique experience that would be impossible to find almost anywhere else in Canada. Even the breakfast room, that also functions as a lounge that serves regional wines and craft beers, is beautiful and contains local artist Eric Parnell’s hand-crafted communal totem table. The tables, fireplace, and ceiling have all been hand-crafted with Douglas fir planks from the original 1906 building.

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To add to the cultural experience, the hotel features a sweat lodge on the roof of the hotel and a smudge room. Skwachays is likely one of the few places in the world you could take part in a sweat lodge ceremony on the roof of a building in the middle of a busy city. Guests can take part in these ancient purification ceremonies by making arrangements with hotel staff. You don't have to be a guest to participate in the Smudging Ceremony, just email or call the hotel to inquire about costs and booking.

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Skwachays doesn't have a restaurant, even though they serve breakfast and can prepare food for special occasions like meetings, conferences or weddings but there are several wonderful restaurants nearby. Calabash Caribbean Bistro is a restaurant, gallery and music venue with a friendly atmosphere, delicious food and a lively space both upstairs and down. Bestie, a sausage and beer parlour (they even have veggie sausages) is about a two minute walk away. Skwachays is close enough to Gastown, Railtown, Chinatown and Main Street that you can walk to dozens of restaurants, bars and shops.

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Skwachays Urban Aboriginal Fair Trade Gallery is located on the ground floor of the hotel. The gallery features the work of local Aboriginal artists living and working in Vancouver. You can stop by to look or buy cards, artwork, clothing and accessories.

So if you have guests coming to town that you don’t want to put on the couch or an inflatable mattress on the floor of the living room, steer them over to Skwachays. Not only will their hotel stay be a unique experience they will find nowhere else, every dollar they spend will have a positive impact right here in the community.

Photo credits: photography by Craig Minielly at Aura Photographics